What is an Employers’ Responsibility in Preventing St. Louis Workplace Accidents?

Workplace accidents are a common occurrence across all industries. While some accidents are one-time, unavoidable events, others are preventable and occur because of the negligence of someone. Regardless of the cause of accidents, injured workers have to often bear immense pain, take time off work for recovery, and in some cases, they become disabled for the rest of their life. Ensuring workplace safety requires a collective effort, however, the primary responsibility to keep the workplace free of all dangers lies with the employer. In this post, our  St. Louis work injury lawyers will educate you on the responsibilities St. Louis employers have to keep the workplace safe.

It is the responsibility of employers to prevent workplace injuries whenever possible by maintaining a hazard-free workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has put in place guidelines that employers should follow to maintaining workplace safety, and prevent many worker injuries.

OSHA Guidelines

OSHA guidelines are intended to help employers understand what they need to do in order to keep the workplace as hazard free as possible, and also what to do in case a worker gets injured. Some of the most important OSHA guidelines that employers are required to follow include:

• Regularly evaluate workplace condition to make sure they meet OSHA guidelines for the industry the employer operates in

• Ensureworkers  have reasonable access to necessary safety equipment and make sure that this safety equipment is available to the workers and is properly maintained

• Warn workers of potential hazards with the help of proper labeling and signage

• Put in place a training protocol in order to educate workers about potential hazards in the workplace, and how these hazards can be avoided

• Notify OSHA within 8 hours of any work related fatality that occurs in the workplace, or within 24 hours for hospitalizations resulting from a workplace injury, amputations or the loss of an eye

• Maintain proper records of all work-related injuries and illnesses reported by workers

• Observe the worker’s right to report non-compliance with OSHA standards without discrimination

What should a worker do if he/she suffers a workplace injury due to the employer’s failure to follow OSHA safety guidelines?

 Work related injuries regardless of how minor or serious they are, should be reported to the employer. You may be entitled to workers compensation benefits to cover your medical bills and wage loss resulting from the injury. However, if the work related injury occurred because your employer failed to follow the OSHA guidelines on workplace safety, you may have more than a workers compensation claim.

If you think your injury is a result of non-compliance with OSHA guidelines, you should get in touch with an experienced St. Louis workers comp attorney at the Law Office of James M. Hoffmann. We can evaluate your claim for free and help you understand what your legal options are moving forward. Call (314) 361-4300 today to schedule a free consultation.